4 January 2024

Recent heavy rain has resulted in a lot of fresh water runoff in rivers and creeks, particularly south of Brisbane. The water is very brown and there’s a lot of debris coming downstream, so be extra vigilant if you are boating or fishing. The upside is that it will flush a lot of fish downstream and get mud crabs on the move.  

Hervey Bay

Bar cod, pearl perch and job fish in 200 metres east of Break Sea Spit, snapper and pearl perch in 100 metres, red throat, tuskfish and maori cod on the shoal country, spanish and spotty mackerel in Platypus Bay, coral trout, nannygai and grassy sweetlip in the Southern Gutters, longtail and mack tuna throughout the bay, school mackerel in the shipping channels, spanish mackerel and trevally around the inshore shipwrecks, grassy sweetlip and coral trout on the shallow reefs, flathead and grunter bream at Burrum Heads, flathead and whiting along the town beaches, trevally, mackerel and pencil squid off the Urangan jetty, grunter bream, threadfin and blue salmon in the lower reaches of the Mary River and mangrove jack in the Burrum River.

Rainbow Beach Offshore

Snapper, hussar, tuskfish, wrasse and cod about 10nm east of Wide Bay Bar.

Tin Can Bay

School mackerel, longtail and mack tuna around Inskip Point, bream and flathead on the making tide at the mouth of the creeks and mud crabs in the mid to lower reaches.

Noosa

Bream, grunter bream and a few tailor at the Noosa River mouth and trevally and school jew along the Tewantin reach.

Flathead at the Noosa River mouth, grunter bream, bream and mangrove jack in Woods Bay and school jew near the Coastguard building.

Pearl perch, tuskfish and cobia at Sunshine Reef and maori cod, mulloway and spanish mackerel at North Reef.

Pearl perch, cod, moses perch, snapper, cobia and mackerel on the close reefs.

Maroochydore

The Maroochy River is pretty fresh after the recent rain, but a few flathead, bream and whiting have been caught around the dirty water line where the fresh meets the cleaner ocean water in the lower reaches.  Mud crabbing should improve over the next few days. 

Mooloolaba

Grassy sweetlip and cobia on the Gneering Shoals, dart and whiting along the beaches, flathead, bream and trevally along the rock walls at the Mooloolah River mouth and mangrove jack in the canals.

Amberjack, yellowtail king, black marlin and sailfish at the Hards, black marlin and sailfish at the Barwon Banks and spotty mackerel at Coolum Reef.

Caloundra

Grassy sweetlip, spotty and school mackerel on the inshore reefs, dart and whiting along the beaches, flathead, whiting and grunter bream near the new bar entrance, mangrove jack in the canals and mud crabs adjacent to the creek mouths.

Donnybrook

Flathead and bream along the drop offs, mangrove jack and estuary cod in the creeks and mud crabs out from the mouth of the creeks.

Northern Moreton Bay

Spanish mackerel and snapper at Hutchison Shoal, school mackerel, longtail and mack tuna in the northern bay, mahi mahi around the FADs, snapper along Bulwer ledge and near Cooks Rock, bream and flathead on the making tide at the mouth of the Pine and Caboolture Rivers and mud crabs in the lower reaches of the creeks.

Redcliffe Peninsula

Snapper, bream, sweetlip and grunter bream around the inshores, rocky points and jetties, bream, whiting, flathead and grunter bream in Hays Inlet, the Pine River and Bramble Bay, mangrove jack and grunter bream in Newport canals and mud crabs in the rivers and creeks.

Moreton Bay Offshore

Snapper and rosy job fish at Deep Tempest.

Brisbane River – Northern Moreton Bay

Grassy sweetlip around Mud and Green Islands, bream on the making tide in the lower reaches of the Brisbane River, flathead around Fisherman Islands and mud crabs in the creeks.

Wynnum Manly

Diver whiting in the Small Ships Gutter and on the Chain Banks, grassy sweetlip around Green Island and bream along Manly Harbour rock walls.

Nth Stradbroke Island

Fish all beaches for dart, whiting, flathead and chopper tailor.

Redland Bay

Diver whiting in the Rous Channel and Blue Hole, grassy sweetlip and snapper around Mud and Green Islands, mangrove jack in the creeks and canals, sand crabs off Ormiston and Wellington Point and it would be worth setting a few pots for mud crabs in the creeks.

The water in the southern bay is dirty due to flood run off.  Will fish again once the conditions improve.

Jumpinpin

There’s a huge amount of freshwater runoff coming out of the rivers and creeks. The locals are gearing up for mud crabbing. There could be debris coming down the rivers, keep extra alert if you are boating in those areas.

Southport

Recent flooding has put a lot of dirty fresh water and debris into Southport Broadwater.  Fish the wider reefs for cleaner water, avoid the rivers and creeks until the flood water stops running and set mud crab pots around foreshores adjacent to creek mouths.  

Currumbin

Spotty mackerel at Palm Beach Reef, dart, whiting and a few tailor along the beaches, flathead and whiting in the lower reaches of the creeks and mangrove jack in the canals.

Tweed Coast

Not the best weather for fishing this week, due to rain and the amount of fresh in the river. 

Tuskfish, snapper, pearl perch, maori cod and flathead on the 30s east of the Tweed.

Evans Head

Snapper and tailor at Kahors Reef, spotty mackerel at South Reef, yellowtail king, cobia and samson fish around the FAD, dart, bream, flathead, a few tailor and school jew along the beaches, bream, tarwhine, trevally and a few school jew along the rock walls at the Evans River mouth, bream, flathead and sand crabs in the lower reaches and mud crabs in the upper reaches.

FRESHWATER FISHING

Boondooma Dam

Bass and a few golden perch located with sounder on trolled lures along the middle reach of the dam.  The Stuart and Boyne Rivers are discoloured due to freshwater runoff.

Bjelke Petersen Dam

Golden perch on jigs and live bait close to the timber towards the dam wall.

Borumba Dam

Bass on creature baits along the newly flooded grassy banks.

Lake Kurwongbah

Bass and saratoga at dawn and dusk on surface lures along the newly flooded edges.

Hinze Dam

Bass on spinner baits cast towards the mouth of the feeder creeks.

Moogerah Dam

Bass on chatter baits and lipless crank baits in about 25 feet close to the timber.

Maroon Dam

Bass early morning on poppers and creature baits around the dam edges and during the day on natural coloured chatter baits close to the timber in the upper reach of Burnett Creek.